Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers threaten strike over rank row

A group of Preston cabbies are threatening strike action in a row over penalty points. Scores of the city's hackney cab drivers claim they are the victims of an "over zealous" approach from town hall enforcement officers.

Drivers say they are being hit with five penalty points by officers every time they are spotted parking up away from a recognised taxi rank. Under the council's penalty points scheme drivers are given points for different infringements, including defects on their cabs. If a driver hits 20 points they are brought to the town hall for a hearing.

But the drivers claim there are not enough ranks in the city to cater for Hackney cabs, meaning some have to park elsewhere. And they say with schools being out for summer, drivers who usually have school contracts are joining the fight for rank space. But council bosses say they have stepped up their enforcement because of complaints from the public.

Up to 50 drivers met on the car park at Preston North End's Deepdale ground to decide what action to take. They also want a full-time night time enforcement officer because they claim some private hire vehicles are parking up and "cherry picking" customers outside takeaways. Their concerns are now set to be fed back to council bosses.

James Fraser, 45, one of the drivers who organised the meeting, said: "You would think they would be a bit more lenient with it being the summer holidays. "I don't mind getting five points for a bald tyre, but we have got to park somewhere. What do they want us to do, just drive round? What about the carbon footprint?

"There could be the possibility of strike action among the drivers if they don't get what they are asking for."

A spokesman for Preston Council said: "We have received complaints about taxi drivers parking on double yellow lines and pavements when ranks are full.

"As such, we have stepped up our enforcement efforts and would remind taxi drivers that if ranks are full, then they should move on to another available rank.

"Any driver caught breaking these rules could receive five penalty points, although drivers can appeal against this if they feel they have been treated harshly."

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IDFIMH

The enforcement appears reasonable. Why should they have an exemption to park (as opposed to drop off) on double yellows?

It would appear that other ranks are available.

Having said that 5 points in August may be a bit harsh but I have no problem with the general principle of the enforcement.

Isn't that what HC are supposed to do so they can be flagged down

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

So, if a council officer simply quotes a byelaw or act...you automatically believe it to be an accurate representation of the truth? Simply saying "if ranks are full, then they should move on to another available rank", as the council's spokesman did, is like using the (inaccurate) quotation "let them eat cake". The people arguably most responsible for a problem are blaming the victims in such cases. The key word really is "available".

Anyway, as Preston is one of Charles' disputed territories in his BBBBBBBBBBBBPHA (or whatever it is now called?!), maybe he, or one of the other Preston reps, will read this thread and confirm the actual facts, but until fairly recently (within the last 12 months), I'm sure there were only something like 30 or 40 rank spaces for around a couple of hundred hacks in Preston. Just passing through the town you could see that the rank situation really was abysmal.

I certainly wouldn't condone allowing cab drivers to break laws that others could not and it is also the case that many "associations" should have gotten off their a$$es at the planning stages (for rank creation etc), rather than moan when it's too late. However, playing blame games over problems that have taken years to develop rarely accomplishes much. Many of us seem to "forget" that...countrywide... the taxi trade (despite being its own worst enemy at times) has been sh*t on and manipulated by councils and licensing officers for years. Furthermore, now a whole host of other enemies, bureaucrats and snake oil sellers (or taxi training companies as they are known) have arrived.

Even if some associations have not done what with hindsight, they ought to have done over the last decade or more, I'd rather blame the allegedly professional, well paid employees of councils etc, who have taken huge sums in fees from certain care in the community cases.... sorry....taxi & PH drivers....and given sod all back in return.


toots wrote:


Again, perhaps a little harsh toots. In some towns and cities, this could almost lead to an "indians surrounding and circling the cowboys" effect (I'll let anyone else make their own puns from this comment!). Driving round and round in circles, praying for either a non-existent rank space or flagdown, pumping fumes out of vehicles won't sort the problem. And for those of us blessed with a well-organised, profitable area, with loads of work, let's not forget that there are just "one or two" out there where people are working darned long shifts without a day off to make a living.

How about this for a really crazy idea....LA's could try to work WITH the trade to create more ranks in areas where there may be problems and also improve driver & vehicle standards etc, which would benefit the customer, the council AND the trade. Then, if for a change, drivers are provided with a reasonable framework to work within, but they continue to ignore rules or laws, when they have viable alternatives, come down on those drivers like a tonne of bricks...and none of us would defend them.

How is the decision on how many rank spaces are needed reached? Is it something to do with the number of expected passengers or to do with the number of licensed taxis available?

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Grandad,

More to do with money i.e the cost of implementing ranks and availability of space within your/mine working area.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

Whilst I agree with your description of how things may appear it still doesn't justify taxi drivers parking illegally on pavements and double yellow lines. They should find a safe place to park

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Usually it's down to the trade bellyaching time and time again.

Thus low rank spaces per taxi, is clear evidence of poor trade leadership.

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IDFIMH

Again, on the whole, I couldn't and wouldn't disagree with you toots. However, when I read the following comment in the original post....

A spokesman for Preston Council said: "We have received complaints about taxi drivers parking on double yellow lines and pavements when ranks are full.

....then I don't actually see evidence of the alleged offences....only a counter-claim by a council who even if telling the truth....must have apparently been sat on their backsides for a long time without sorting, or indeed "convicting" anyone! Who complained? If it's as bad as they are trying to make it seem, why have they let it get to this point before acting? Whilst I don't doubt that there is some illegal ranking going on (which needs to be addressed...along with the causes), the Council MAY well be "cranking up" the level of seriousness here to enhance "their side" of the story.

For reference, as no-one has jumped onto this topic from the Preston area yet (where are you Preston lads/lasses....& Charles, of course?!) and to hopefully clarify grandad's and sussex's posts, I tried to ascertain a couple of facts. Anyone with more accurate info, please feel free to correct this.

Apparently, Preston went through a "de-reg exercise", not long after the Transport Act 1985. The number of cabs went up by over three times the original amount (around 60 to around 200) and the Council felt compelled to re-restrict in the early 90's, due to a considerable over supply of hacks. Apparently....hardly any new rank space has been created in Preston over this time! Incredible!

Town and city centres everywhere have been transformed over this same period of time, particularly since the changes in the pub licensing act etc and let's be honest, whilst I would not condone it, cabs will go to where the work is, rather than sit on an old "redundant" rank (assuming of course, that there are ANY spaces available on the ranks they do have ). Who knows, maybe Preston's drivers have never pursued the rank issue enough, but Preston wouldn't be the first council to appear to go out of their way to avoid spending on issues such as taxis.

Also, whilst unfair to speculate so forgive me, many of the alleged "double-yellow" parking offences could be in areas of change where new TRO's /road markings /ranks may be both acceptable and even appropriate and would be mutually beneficial, if someone with a particle of sense was to force a positive move forward! (For example, some places, where conditions may have made a double-yellow appropriate, may have changed, though admittedly, the two competing/ apparently "warring" Preston associations should be monitoring this...instead of each other!).

Anyway...whilst the drivers in Preston must indeed shoulder some of the blame for "allowing" big problems like this to happen, my kind nature...naivety...gullability...call it what you like, is to mainly blame the Council and it's Licensing officers for the vast majority of such a problem.

Sussex, if I understand you correctly, your point that constantly moaning cabbies who don't actually DO anything for the trade, usually bring much of this on themselves...well...it is very sadly, hard to disagree with. However, on the whole, the majority of drivers are not "rocket-scientists" and the fact remains that the allegedly intelligent, trained people who are employed to both protect the public...and the trade...well, they seem to be doing a pretty poor job in much of the UK.

Whether anyone reading this agrees, or totally disagrees with the concept of delimitation, it would appear that Preston tried a version of it...and screwed it up badly!

So, my point is to stop treating symptoms...ie drivers ranking where we agree they should not... who would no doubt, then argue that there is nowhere for them to go... and do something to address the causes of the problem......a problem in this case, largely caused by the council themselves. Then, as I said previously, if drivers have alternatives and still choose to ignore the laws...let them suffer the consequences.